Michael and I tag-teamed watching Penelope today, and I was able to go see Isle of Dogs. Just like every other Wes Anderson movie, I enjoyed it. It's an idiosyncratic work of art. It sticks to his usual, character-driven, split-into-sections, kind of format. I enjoyed the little ironies, like the pack of alpha dogs that tries to vote on their decisions. I enjoyed the visual use of Japanese-inspired patters. I love that Yoko Ono had a small voiced part, along with a lot of the typical people that appear in Anderson films.
I read something criticizing the film for having limited female characters. Those that were in the films didn't have a huge role in the plot development. While this is sort of true, and Anderson's stuff typically has more main male characters than female ones, and doesn't always pass the Bechdel test, I forgive him. It's about time he does something with more female characters for sure - I'd really like to see what he might come up with. Maybe the next film?
For once, I really feel like I caught up on what our friends here call "life admin". I was able to some chores and errands done today and fit in a movie, on top of doing a lot of the usual stuff with Penelope. I don't feel exhausted. And, I wrote a blog post about something other than mostly her. I win.
My parents left yesterday and we have a quiet week (at least as far as we know) until Mike's parents arrive. Yesterday was ANZAC day (a public holiday). Mike and I tag-teamed in the morning so he could workout with a friend and then I could go biking in Centennial Park for the first time since Penny was born. It was nice to be out and get some fresh air on a gorgeous day. Then we binge-watched some Westworld in preparation for watching the new season, and played a boardgame in the evening. A thrilling way to spend a holiday, I know. Now today feels like Monday even though it's Thursday.
Penelope is gradually getting onto a sleeping schedule now that she is eight weeks old. The good news is she usually gets one "long" 5-6 hour sleep a night. The bad news is that after that, she's usually awake for 1.5-2 hours before falling asleep again. She's starting to smile more and have a longer attention span, and her legs and neck are getting stronger every day. The little munchkin is actually starting to grow into some clothes the next size up. Her hair remains fabulous.
It's hard to believe my parents' visit is almost over. We've kind of gotten used to them being around, as if they live here. We have shared lots of meals with them, and Penny loves to be held by them. She loves her grandma so much that she saved up almost 10 days worth of poop and then unloaded it on her. Apparently, this is not that unusual for small babies (pooping once every 10 days)... and it actually wasn't that much poop.
Penny got to take a quick day trip on her first ferry ride to The Basin, which is a camping and picnic area that is part of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. She saw her first wallabies, goanna, and brush turkeys, even though she was a sleep for a lot of the time. Mike got to participate in Survivor weekend there, run by a friend of ours who splits everyone into teams and plans the challenges. Penny was having her milk while her dad was eating half a raw onion and some whole chilli peppers.
We also got to take Penny to see Circular Quay (where the Harbour Bridge and Opera House are) for the first time.
It has been an eventful week. While we will be sad to see Lola and Grandpa go, the next set of grandparents visits soon, and we are excited for Pen to meet them!
My parents, AKA Penelope's grandparents, have been visiting for the last several days and will be here for about another week. Unlike during their past visits to the Sydney area, we have fewer plans each day, so we can have plenty of downtime hanging out with Penelope at home and in our neighborhood.
Penelope had her first round of vaccines on Friday, and was not feeling like her usual chipper self, understandably. We had planned to go to Wollongong on Saturday, partially to see Michael play in the nationals tournament, but the weather was not ideal for a little bub (so windy they had to take down sun shelters), and she still had a fever from the vaccines, so we weren't able to stay as long as originally planned. She recovered after about two days, and is charming us all as much as she can without smiling all that much yet. She'll kind of quickly half-smile occasionally, leaving us wondering if she really was smiling in the first place (I bet when our backs are turned, she's smiling and chuckling up a storm at our confusion/mild frustration).
I was able to bring my parents to trivia last night, although a pub would not normally be their scene. They knew a lot of answers and seemed to have a good time, despite how noisy and raucous the regulars can get. They're getting to see more of the ordinary life here rather than doing a lot of tourist stuff, although they are getting to do a little bit of that here and there. April is a nice time of year to visit Sydney!
A friend of ours who moved to the states about a year ago came back to visit this past week. Because of this, Penelope got to go on her first ride on a Sydney train and to Korean BBQ for the first time. In case you're wondering, Korean BBQ is a terrible place to bring a baby because it is smokey, loud, there are hot coals and plates being carried all around you, and there are also plates of raw meat hanging around. It was still good to go out and catch up with a group of friends, Penny was surprisingly on her best behavior, and she survived.
Another first (sort of) this week was my first time back at trivia since having Penelope, while Penelope got to spend the evening with Michael. It was good to see some familiar faces, socialize, and have the night "off" just for a few hours.
In other news, Penelope is starting to get excited for her upcoming visits from both sets of grandparents! She just doesn't know it yet.
Easter weekend in Australia is always a four day affair. Penelope's first Easter weekend was fun and low-key. We took Penelope on her first day trip up to Palm Beach. She did really well but we were all tired by the time we got home. We also enjoyed some facetime with family, time in the park, and went to our friends' for dinner. It's nice to slowly get out with her more and more.
